Railway-rail joint.



J. HORVAT.

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

urucmou man mum. ms.

Patented July 13, 1915.

JOSEF HORVAT, OF SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN.

RAILWAY-BAIL JOINT.

i,iti5,992.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed March 8, 1915. Serial No. 12,733.

T all 11:71 0112 it may concern:

3e it known that I, J osnr Houva'r, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Superior, in the county of Douglas, State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in joints and particularly to joints employed to connect the contiguous ends of railway rails.

The object of my invention is to so construct and arrange the connecting device that the rails can be easily and quickly joined to or disconnected from each other without driving or withdrawin spikes, and to so clamp the rails in the joint that they will be securely and positively fastened to each other when in their assembled position. This and other objects I accomplish as set forth in the following specification and as more particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accomanying drawings in which a preferred emliodiment or adaptation of the invention is shown.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the contiguous terminal portions of two railway rails with my improved joint clamped thereto; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on line 2-2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the separate fish-plate.

In referring to the drawings in detail, like numerals, letters, characters, or symbols designate like or corresponding parts in the adaptation of my invention illustrated therein.

The rails shown are of the usual wellknown form, each comprising a head 1, foot 2, and connecting web 3. The usual openings l in the webs of the rails are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

My improved joint comprises a shoe in which the ends of the rails are fitted in longitudinal alinement, said shoe having a base 5, an integral fish-plate 6 extending from one side of said base, and a slotted enlargement 7 upon the opposite side of said base in the slot 8 of which the outer extremity of a clamping bar 9 is pivoted. The clamping bar 9 has a cam portion 10 against which one end of a substantially flat spring 11 presses to maintain said bar in clamping position. The inner end of the bar 9 is enlarged to form a holding plate 12 which contacts with the separate fish-plate 13. Both the integral fish-plate l3 and the separate fish-plate 13 are provided with inwardly-extending pins 14; which when the joint is in its rail-connecting position fit and lock in the openings 4 in the rails as shown in Fig. 2.

The clamping bar is provided with a suitable top recess 15 in which the end of a crow bar or other implement may be inserted for the purpose of lifting the clamping bar against the tension of the spring 11 and dismounting the device. By referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the end edge 16 of the clamping bar is substantially flat and fits against the end wall of the slot 8 when the bar is in clamping position, thereby forming a strong and ractically rigid support for the separate fisli-plate.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into eil'ect, this is capable of a wide range of variation, alteration, modification, and change without departing from the spirit of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the construction herein shown and described but desire to avail myself of all such variations, alterations, modifications, and changes as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims or may be construed to be within the scope thereof by invoking the doctrine of e uivalents.

V at I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters atent is:

1. In a evice of the class described, two rails having their contiguous ends in longitudinal alinement, and a joint for connecting the ends of said rails having a shoe in which said rails are fitted and comprising a base provided with a slot, two opposed lishplates between which rails are clamped, and a clamping bar pivoted in the slot of the base.

2. In a device of the class described, two rails having their contiguous ends in longitudinal alincment, and a joint for connecting the ends of said rails having a shoe in which said rails are fitted and comprising a base provided with a slot, two opposed fishplates between which rails are clamped, and

a clam ing bar having its outer extremity pivote in the slot and its inner end bear mg against one of the fish plates.

3. In a device of the class described, two

rails having their contiguous ends in longitudinal alinement, and a joint for connecting the ends of said rails having a shoe in which said rails are fitted and comprising a base provided with a slot two 0p osed fishplates between which rails are c amped, a clamping bar ivoted in the slot in the base and a spring or normally maintaining said bar in clamping position.

i. In a, device of the class described, two rails having their contiguous ends in longitudinal alinement, and a joint for connecting the ends of said rails having a shoe in which said rails are fitted and comprising a base provided with a slot, two opposed fish-plates between which rails are clamped, and a clamping bar having its outer extreniity pivoted in the slot and its inner end bearing against one of the fish-plates, said bar having a recess for the insertion of a suitable lifting tool.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my nalne in the presence of two witnesses.

J OSEF HORVAT. Witnesses:

MAUI) STAUFFA'CHER, W. P. CRAWFORD.

Qnpies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. C. 

